A sneak peak of the BIL.MAG magazine as created for a course at Wageningen University in which students bring you to their area and share their case with you.

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bil.mag
Developed by staff and students from
72 LAND AND WATER
MANAGEMENT STORIES

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Source: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS,
USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community
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Overview of trips in The Netherlands Overview of trips across Europe
Overview of trips around Wageningen

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These are extraordinary times: COVID-19 forced us to rethink, reorganize and recreate a lot,
including education. Instead of doing fieldwork collectively in the south of Limburg, we were
required to organize the course ‘Design in Land & Water Management’ in an online manner.
With the combined effort of staff and students, the course has been reshaped and perhaps
even enhanced.
Classes, workshops and group meetings took place in virtual classrooms, in Skype for
Business sessions or on other online platforms. Moreover, all students did engage in fieldwork.
Not in Limburg and not in groups, but individually and in their extended backyards and
neighbourhoods. They explored land and water management issues, interviewed stakeholders,
did measurements, and compared notes with one another on common themes. Within the 1.5
meter society a lot appeared to be possible!
The resulting reports, PEEK-tours, podcasts and vlogs testify to these possibilities: the
students have been able to produce great results. This magazine nicely captures all efforts
and outputs, and it presents an interesting overview of land and water management issues
in the Netherlands, and elsewhere in Europe. And it shows that our first year students have
progressed well in understanding, applying and integrating all knowledge and skills acquired
earlier in the year.
In ‘normal’ times we would probably not have produced a magazine like this. But this year we
did: it is a token of what students and staff have been able to achieve. I hope it will become
part of our collective memory and be a source of inspiration: let’s continue looking for ways to
develop inspiring and meaningful courses. In normal and extraordinary times.
Thanks to Teun Vogel, the course coordinator, you did a fantastic job! Thanks to the course
staff, it was great to work with you! Thanks to the students, you showed the best of yourself.
Looking forward for more!
Bert Bruins
Programme Director
International Land & Water Management (MSc/BSc)
Extraordinary
EducationForeword by the Course Director
Content
Overview Map
The Netherlands 2 EU & Wageningen 3
Extraordinary Education
Foreword by the Course Coordinator 4
Interactive
Enjoy our stories with us 7
Syntheses
Water quality & ground water 10 Drought: The Netherlands as delta desert 12
Land degradation and remediation 11 Spatial planning and creek restoration 13
Case study tours
1. Culemborg 14 13. Leersumse Veld 26
2. Zouwe Boezem 15 14. Bovenpolder, Wageningen 27
3. Ticino River 16 15. Waterrijk, Elst 28
4. Den Haag 17 16. Venster op de Vallei, Amersfoort 29
5. Domburg 18 17. Gilze 30
6. Rhenen 19 18. Baak 31
7. Blauwe Kamer 20 19. Ruurlo 32
8. Workumer Mar 21 20. Binnenveld, Bennekom 33
9. Nijmegen 22 21. Heelsum 34
10. Den Haag 23 22. Wageningen 35
11. Jabeek 24 23. Ginkelse Hei, Ede 36
12. Amerongen 25 24. Havikerwaard 37

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InteractiveEnjoy our stories with us
Podcasts
website
Vlogs
Case study tours
25. Poelpolder 38 49. Nevengeul, Nijmegen 62
26. Grebbeberg 39 50. Bergen op Zoom 63
27. Wageningen 40 51. Hansweerd 64
28. Wageningen 41 52. Rosmalen 65
29. Renkums Beekdal 42 53. Driel 66
30. Aadorp 43 54. Slovenia 67
31. Binnenveld 44 55. Scheveningen 68
32. Hardenberg 45 56. Hoeilaart, Belgium 69
33. Nieuw Kortenoord 46 57. Ammerzoden 70
34. Moordrecht 47 58. Hemmen, Betuwe 71
35. Scherpenzeel 48 59. Epe 72
36. Losser 49 60. Kollenberg 73
37. Geleen 50 61. Rhenen 74
38. Jufferswaard 51 62. Den Haag 75
39. Nijverdal 52 63. Hoekelum, Ede 76
40. Wageningen 53 64. Grebbeberg 77
41. Wageningen 54 65. Waterland 78
42. Wageningen 55 66. Kanis 79
43. Betuwe 56 67. Sophia 80
44. Renkums beekdal 57 68. Hamburg 81
45. Bergen op Zoom - Noord 58 69. Drenthe 82
46. Winsum 59 70. Bluebell Forest 83
47. Lentse plas, Nijmegen 60 71. Renkums Beekdal 84
48. Koekoekspetten 61 72. Harderwijk 85
Reportage
Strolling through the landscape with Jacob Kaptein 86

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Take a moment to look at the picture above. And look again. Keep looking.
There is a significant chance that you have been looking at this picture longer than you would
usually do. We tend to not have too much attention to what is going on around us. This is also
exactly the case when looking around you in a landscape. You can be distracted very easily,
although there is so much more to see if you use more than just your eyes..
This landscape reading is something I think is an important element while being outside, be
it an urban area or be it an endless nature reserve. Why are things as they are? What do you
exacty see? How did it develop this way? The water in the picture, can we call it a flooding?
How do the owners of these houses perceive it? Are they afraid?
Students have been diving into the landscape around their homes. In most of the cases, this
was the area where they have been living for years and years, but together we have tried to
go on a joint quest through the landscape to find hidden gems, stories that we did never heard
of before.
The result is this magazine filled with 72 stories from the landscape. Stories for you to fully
immerse yourself in.To make the stories even more interesting for you as reader, we have
developed some supporting materials.
Each story is brought to a deeper level by inviting you on a bike or walking tour through the
case landscape, using the app Peek. Using this app, staff members can develop interactive field
trips for the students – as a substitute of the old-fashioned paper version. However, in this
course, we turned it around and asked the students to make a trip for you as reader of this
magazine.
Introby the Course Coordinator
Want to join the student on its quest through the landscape? By using the field trip code given
at the case page, you can let Peek take you outside on a trip developed by the student.
In addition, each story contains a vlog or a podcast episode created by the students.
Enjoy these stories on your couch, but, preferably while you are in the field, enjoying the bike
tour.
Look at the map at the pages 2 and 3 and check out if there is a story close to your home. Or
maybe close to your holiday destination? Or close to the home of your friends or family? Take
them outside too and enjoy the beautiful nature.
So put on your rain or snow boots, slippers or sandals, flippers or your bare feet and get outside!
Take a deep fresh breath and enjoy any of these 72 inspiring tours through the landscape.
P.s.: To give you some extra inspiration, we have asked Jacob Kaptein to teach us a lesson on
how he usually dives into the nature - he takes who literally - and how he likes to stroll through
the landscape. Jacob is a professional nature photographer that works for National Geographic
and shares his passion in this BIL.MAG both through pictures and words.
Teun Vogel
Course Coordinator

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32. Water storage in the Vechtpark
How the development of the Vechtpark led to water safety and nature
FREKE VLIEK - 1448
Vechtpark Hardenberg, The Netherlands
Description of the Case and tour: In my case study
I am looking at the Vechtpark in Hardenberg. This
project was finished in 2016 and through several
measures 535.000 m3 of extra water storage area was created. The Vechtpark is divided into four areas which all had their own
project plans. I determined which measures were taken in which areas and how much water storage was created in the specific
areas. I also determined the discharge of the river and tried to determine if rainwater in the area was drained towards the Vecht
or if it all disappeared into the sewage system. Spoiler alert, there is much progress to be made in this regard. Additionally, I
looked at ways to relieve drought with the help of the Vechtpark, which unfortunately isn’t really an option at the moment as
water storage here is only temporary.
The case tour gives you an impression of the Vechtpark and shows you what measures were taken to make the Vecht area by
Hardenberg safer. Keep an eye out for all the animals that reside in the area including cows, wild rabbits and lots of different
birds such as swans, partridges and oystercatchers.
Fun Fact: The wild water canoe track that was built in the Vechtpark is the first ever in the Netherlands that uses a rivers natural
decline! De Vecht provides a height difference of 1.5 meters over a length of 140 meters. The various obstacles in the track
create eddies and waves.
In the picture: In this picture you see part of Centrum Uiterwaard. You can walk around here in the floodplains and look at
foraging birds that are living on the little islands in the Vecht.
During the tour:
31. Confronting drought
Journey into the Binnenveld’s battle with increasing drought
NIK VERWEEL - 8325
Binnenveld, Wageningen, The Netherlands
Description of the Case and tour: Drought is
currently unavoidable and has been for the past years.
2020 is estimated to break the record for being the
driest year since records began, whilst drought is likely to increase in the future as a result of climate change. In this case study,
the issue of drought will be looked at more closely. The effects of drought on local stakeholders will be investigated through
interviews, in addition to figuring out what preparations stakeholders are making in this record-breaking year. As earnings and
futures are on the line, new issues and conflicts arise between stakeholders. These, too, will be mapped and explained. The
results are worrying and show under preparedness and tensions on the rise. During the Peek tour you will get the know the area
in which this local crisis is developing and through listening to the accompanying podcast the issues and potential solutions
will be explained in a bite-sized format. Drought affects all of us, but take this opportunity to see this issue from a different
perspective, where instead of not being allowed to fill your paddling pool, people’s lives can be changed forever.
Fun Fact: The current precipitation shortage (166mm) equals to around 6.900.000.000 litres of required precipitation spread
across the Netherlands. That’s approximately 2800 Olympic Pool’s worth of water, or enough to supply 138.000 people in the
Netherlands with water for a year.
In the picture: In late May 2020, sprinkler and spraying systems can be seen just about everywhere in the Binnenveld. Farmers
are supplying extra water to their drought-ridden crops and grass. Some farmers are connecting their systems for the first times
in preparation of the drought to come...
During the tour:

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The Essche stream
is a stream in the South of the Netherlands
and this stream was normalized in 1965. Due
to measures taken, the stream has regained
meanders on certain segments. The visual
impact of a restored section of the stream
can be seen above the road compared to the
normalized part of the stream under the road.
Streams have been normalised and canalised, most being altered from the beginning of the
twentieth century. The objective was to rapidly drain water, limit water nuisance and make
the surrounding land more suitable for agriculture. From the end of the twentieth century
it became clear that these canalised streams also have disadvantages. Many streams are
having trouble with excessive drought. Fish populations massively die off in these dry periods.
Additionally, farmers face critically dry soils. Studies uniformly show a decline in biodiversity
in and around streams. Therefore the regional water authorities, nature managers, provinces
and communities have put their heads together to reverse these developments. The objective
is to restore a few thousands kilometres of streams in the Netherlands before the year 2027.
National Geographic Magazine NL wanted to publish an article about this story and asked me
to deliver the photographs (published in June, 2020).
After I got the assignment, I dived into the literature about stream restoration. Since I studied
forest and nature conservation at the WUR I luckily already understood the theoretical
background behind stream restoration to some degree. To know more I spoke with
stakeholders, professors and any person who seemed to be interested in the topic. Sometimes
I was surprised by the input random people had to offer to my project. Especially because
I should not only know scientific knowledge about stream restoration, but also concrete
information about specific places and phenomena which make the stream restoration visible.
Ingredients
On the basis of this acquired knowledge and information, I always make a list of important
aspects of the story which should be photographed, such as;
• Target species for stream restoration: fish like the common bleak (Alburnus alburnus) and
the common dace (Leuciscus leuciscus)
• Important restoration measurements: restoring the original course of the stream or
removing dams and other man-made obstructions;
• Human activities in the area: canoeing, cycling and walking.
• Stakeholders: Canoe Company, farmers, nature conservationists and surrounding residents.
Together, these images almost seem to form a shopping list of an imaginary recipe, similar to
an apple pie. Some ingredients can be forgotten or replaced, but a number of aspects (key
ingredients) should not be missing, because otherwise I can no longer call it an apple pie. (Un)
fortunately nature is not so predictable. That is why I always write as many points on the list as
possible, so that when something is unfeasible, I always have enough interesting alternatives
to take pictures of.
© Photos: Jacob Kaptein
Strolling through
the landscapewith Jacob Kaptein

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2020 has been an extraordinary year so far in many regards.
Online education: how on earth can you achieve what you
would normally achieve during field work?
The students of this course show you that a lot is possible
by taking you into the field with their stories, their findings,
their vlogs and podcasts and even bike tours.
Let us introduce you to 72 tours through the landscape.
Things you did not know yet, stories that were maybe
never told.
bil.mag
Front and back cover photos
© Jacob Kaptein